Fire Emblem: Dual Tactics
by Zazs
Summary: A retelling of Fire Emblem: Awakening, with both Male and Female avatars waking up in the middle of a field in Ylisse. How would things turn out if the responsibilities of the armies tactics were on two sets of shoulders instead of one? I do not own Fire Emblem.
1. Ch 1 Seeing Double

_**Author's Note: First of all, thank you so much for reading this story. This is my first attempt at writing that isn't forced by some paper for school. As such, I would love your feedback on what you think; what could be improved, what doesn't make sense, etc. Secondly, I have story essential couples planned out already, but I will certainly consider feedback on other relationships. Once again, I am extremely new at this whole writing-for-fun thing, so by all means, give me advice. So, please enjoy Dual Tactics!**_

* * *

Two figures stood before me, standing above the defeated man lying face-down on the ground. Purple flames of residual energy danced around his body, with one of the figures, hood pulled over their head, standing close by with their sword pointing down at the fallen. The blue-haired figure turned towards me and smiled, a satisfied and relieved smile growing on his face.

The hooded figure was suddenly thrown back by a blast of the remaining energy, as the fallen one rose and fired a blast of magic at the blue-haired man. I ran over and pushed him out of the way, taking the blow and getting thrown down the long hallway.

* * *

I groaned and looked up frantically at the scene before me. The blue-haired man lifted up the hooded figure, and spoke to them, out of earshot from myself. I saw the hooded one grab at their head in pain, as tiny shocks of electricity began to form around their other hand. I called out in warning as I witnessed the magic stab into the blue-haired man's chest, the electric bolt protruding from their body as he backed away.

"This… This is… not… your fault." The blue-haired man struggled to say. He fell to the ground, blood quickly beginning to pool around his body as the magic dissipated from the wound.

* * *

"Chrom, we have to do _something._ " A female voice said entreatingly.

"What do you propose we do?" A male voice followed, sounding concerned.

Another young man slowly began opening his eyes, vision blurred and blinded by the sudden exposure to light. The female voice spoke again, as his vision returned.

"Uhh… I don't know - "She stopped as she saw that the man's eyes opened, everything becoming clear around him. The girl who was speaking was small, with blond hair that separated into two pigtails on the sides of her head, held there by strings of silver which fell down next to her cheeks, contrasting the color of her pale green eyes. Both the man and the girl gasped and leaned down as they saw this, smiling to the newly awoken stranger.

"I see you're awake now. There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know. Here, give me your hand." The name seemingly named Chrom offered his hand to the man on the ground, pulling him up to his feet.

The young man looked older, bearing resemblance to the girl in facial features. His hair was a striking dark shade of cerulean, matching his eyes, and his smile was warm and friendly.

The man who was previously on the ground noticed, in passing, a strange purple marking on the back of his right hand as he got up.

"Are you alright?" Chrom asked.

"Y-yes…" The now upright man paused and got his words together, still dazed from just waking up. "Thank you Chrom."

"Ah, then you know who I am then?" Chrom replied, taken a little by surprise by the friendly thanks.

He was more surprised when the man scratched his shaggy blond hair and squinted his dark born eyes in confusion. "No, actually, I… It's strange," the man said perplexed. "Your name, it just… came to me."

"Hmm… How curious…" Chrom responded in a low tone. "Tell me, what's your name? What brings you out here?"

"My name is… It's…" The man struggled and held his head, a sharp pain stopping him from continuing.

Chrom returned to being surprised and confused, "You don't know your own name?"

"I'm not sure if… I'm sorry, but where am I exactly?"

The girl spoke up, "Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!" she exclaimed.

 _That makes sense of why I can't remember anything... at all..,_ their confused companion thought. Not all present agreed with that. "It's called a load of pegasus dung," said another voice, deeper than Chrom's.

The three turned around to see a fourth party, older than them, standing tall in heavy white and blue horse-riding armor. His brown hair matched his eyes, which were squinted towards the stranger with doubt. He continued, "We are to believe that you remember milord's name, but not your own?"

The stranger in question sputtered, "B-but it's the truth!"

Chrom looked at the armored man in the eye and said, "What if it IS true Fredrick? We can't just leave him here, alone and confused." He turned to look at the confused mess of a man beside him and said with concern, "What kind of Shepherds would we be then?"

The man named Fredrick quickly replied, "Just the same milord, I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."

Chrom considered his friend's words. After taking a moment, he decided, "Right then-we'll take him back to town and sort it out there."

The man in question spoke up, "Wait one moment," he protested. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"Peace, friend," Chrom said with a smile. "I promise we'll hear all you have to say back in town." He turned around and began walking, "Now come."

Though his voice was warm, the last statement was nothing short of a command. With a long sigh, the blonde stranger resigned to his fate and began walking towards a town which he hoped was close by.

* * *

Along the way, the young girl introduced herself as Lissa to the stranger. With the extra time to peruse what little remained of his memories, the stranger introduced himself as well, "It is nice to meet you Lissa. My name is Robin... I just remembered that. Very strange... At least that mystery is solved."

Looking past Robin as they walked, Lissa interrupted, "Uhh... Chrom, I think there is another person over there." She pointed off to the side of the path where a figure could be seen face up in the grass, seemingly asleep.

Her companions went over to the figure, Chrom saying, "This day just went from strange to weird." They looked up on the sleeping woman, whose white-blonde hair was spread out beneath her. Her face looked peaceful in slumber, emphasized by her soft facial features. "You don't happen to recognize her by chance, do you Robin? I must say, if you were a woman, I imagine you would look near identical."

Robin shot Chrom a questioning look at the comment, but looked down and picked his brain, "Not that I remember." He paused, then continued, "Not that my memory is of much reliability at the moment."

Robin backed up for Lissa and Chrom to examine her. The attention must have stirred the sleeping woman, as she began to slowly open her eyes much in the same way that Robin had not an hour ago.

"Hey there," said a smiling Lissa in a soft tone.

 _This seems familiar in more ways than one,_ thought Robin.

In a repeat performance of his awakening, Chrom offered a hand to the dazed woman and hoisted her up. She saw a strange purple marking as she took the offered hand, but couldn't dwell on it because of a sudden throbbing in her mind.

"Are you alright miss?" Chrom asked to woman.

She held her head and looked up at Chrom. "I am now. Thank you Chrom." Her face, as well as the rest of the parties, turned to surprise.

"Another one? This is too much!" Fredrick tightened his grip on his silver lance.

Chrom waved his hand is dismissal, "It is alright Fredrick. This will simply be the same as with Robin. We can discuss this when we arrive at the town. You wouldn't happen to remember who you are do you?" He asked with a joking manner.

By now, the woman, looking to be in her early 20's like Chrom and Robin, had composed herself somewhat through the constant headaches. "My name is Vivian. I can say that for sure. Do you know where we are?" she asked, a quizzical look on her face.

Chrom, Fredrick, and Lissa were all visibly taken aback at the response. "Uhh… well we are in Ylisse. And I suppose if you really are in the same position as Robin, you'll have to come with us until we determine you aren't enemies." As he spoke, Chrom indicated the direction that they had been walking.

"You mean where that smoke is coming from?" Vivian asked, following Chrom's arm.

All heads turned, seeing the top of a dark smoke cloud that began to rise into the air.

"The town!" Lissa gasped.

Chrom and Fredrick's expressions immediately changed into shock, then determination.

"This will have to wait milord. We must hurry!" Fredrick shouted as he mounted his horse.

Chrom and Lissa quickly followed him on foot, Chrom shouting back at Robin as he they ran towards the smoke, "Bring her with you! Follow us, quick!?

Turning to Vivian, Robin questioned, "Are you alright to run? We shouldn't get far behind."

Vivian's head was a churning mess of questions and mysteries. She didn't know who any of these people were, save for knowing Chrom's name from the start. Without any other options, she reasoned that staying with these people that found her was her best course of action. Assuming there was nothing serious happening to this town, at least she could ask some questions when they arrived.

"I'll be alright, yes. I can run. Let's follow them." Vivian said, rubbing her head one last time.

Robin and Vivian took off down the grass and back onto the path, running at a full sprint after their mysterious companions.

The town was in sight quickly, and the two stragglers caught up to the other three as they heard Chrom shouting angrily.

"This must be the bandits that we have been chasing this whole week. Dammit! We should have found them sooner!"

"There is no time to waste then. We must go and take them out before any more of the town catches fire," Fredrick responded hastily.

Below them, they could see the entire town's situation; a few small buildings, likely homes for the families of the workers who worked in the bigger ones, lied on the edges of the area. Larger buildings surrounded the center of town, the focal point being a large stone church, its plate glass window in the large tower above the entrance reflecting the afternoon sun.

In front of the church was a paved town square, although the majority of the roads were compacted dirt. It would have looked like any other normal town had it not been for the bandits running around into the buildings, coming out with a sack of loot, and throwing a torch back into the entrance.

"Fredrick, Lissa, let's go. Robin and Vivian, stay here where it is safe." The three took off without hesitation.

The two amnesiacs watched them leave, each more than a little unsettled at their lack of usefulness. With these thoughts, Robin's hand unconsciously found its way into one of the various pockets that his cloak had. He felt a large rectangular object he hadn't noticed before, and took it out to examine it.

It was an old book, well worn, and obviously read a great deal. It was bound in a thick, dark brown cover, with a lightning bolt etched into the cover. Robin flipped through the book, the complex symbols and characters unfamiliar to him. Upon focusing on the symbols within the book, he was rewarded with a tingling sensation as sparks arched between his fingertips.

Vivian noticed this and looked on in surprise, "Is that a spellbook? Are you a mage?"

Robin was to fascinated to respond, focusing on the symbols within the tome and gesturing his outstretched hand in what surprised him to be a familiar motion.

He was rewarded with a weak bolt of lightning firing from his hand and flying into the tree he gestured towards, leaving a decent sized scorch mark.

Vivian was'shocked' at what she saw. "I thought I understood that you couldn't remember anything. How did you do that?" she asked Robin.

"Honestly, I am not so sure. It certainly felt familiar though, no question there." He turned towards her as he said this, and couldn't help noticing her rubbing her fingertips on a hilt that was barely revealed underneath her own cloak. "What about that you have there? You're lucky that Fredrick didn't scan it eyes across you like he did to me," he pointed.

She hadn't even noticed that she was touching the hilt. Vivian pulled the sword from its sheath, revealing a clearly used, but well maintained, bronze short sword. She swung it back and forth, as he body naturally shifted into a defensive stance.

"I understand what you mean when you said the magic felt familiar," she said. "If we both can defend ourselves with these, then I think we owe it to Chrom to help him out in town."

Gazing down the hill, they saw Fredrick lead the charge into the town square, plunging his lance into the neck of a bandit that was caught unaware by the approaching rider.

Robin nodded, "I agree. Though we definitely should meet up with them first and explain ourselves quickly before Fredrick thinks twice about following Chrom's trust."

Robin and Vivian turned towards each other and smirked. Together they ran down the path that lead to the entrance town, Robin with tome in hand, Vivian with sword at the ready.

* * *

Chrom deflected an overhand blow from an axe-wielding bandit, leaving the attacker off balance as Chrom kicked him to the ground, following with a quick stab to the throat.

Nearby, he could see Fredrick fighting off two bandits, each wielding swords, with the range that his mount and lance provided him. Lissa was standing behind him, watching warily because of the proximity of the enemies to her.

The first of the bandits dove into Fredrick's range, immediately being met with unrelenting jabs that put the bandit on the back foot. With Fredrick occupied, the other bandit ran around the side, charging at the unprotected Lissa.

The sword-wielder slashed at her, Lissa jumping backwards awkwardly as far as she could to get out of range. Fredrick, seeing her in danger, forcefully overpowered his opponent and turned his steed around to charge at her attacker.

Unfortunately, the untrained cleric lost her footing, unused to being the object of a focused one-on-one attack. Panic flooded over her face, as did Fredrick's, as he was just out of range and the sword was flying towards Lissa's unarmored body.

"Thunder!" Robin called from the distance. The lightning bolt struck Lissa's attacker in the chest, stopping his strike and sending him flying backwards, straight into an enraged Fredrick's lance, impaling the bandit's spine.

"Are you alright Lissa?!" Vivian called upon reaching her and Fredrick, Robin following close behind. Fredrick looked in surprise to see the two robed amnesiacs run up to them, Vivian armed with a sword, Robin with his fingertips still sparking from the magic.

"Lissa!" Chrom exclaimed as he came up to the group. Behind him lay another bandit, struck down by his blade.

"I'm alright now," she exhaled, standing up. She turned her the blonde-haired savior, mouth agape, "But Robin, since when could you use magic?!"

"Since you left us up on that hill, wishing we could help you out," he responded with a smirk. "We both are clearly combat trained, as you can see," pointing to Vivian's sword arm.

"We need to get moving again. The longer we wait, the more people will be endangered by these ruffians," Vivian stated firmly. "Lissa, keep with Fredrick, but stay closer to him. Your attacker was able to get past him because you were too far away when Fredrick was pressured," she continued.

"Chrom, I'll be fighting with you. Since Robin is our only ranged attacker…" Vivian began.

"I'll stick to casting spells to support your advance. Fredrick, you and Lissa take up the rear and take on anyone who tries to flank us," Robin cut in.

"This way Lissa will stay well protected and we can still have a strong front, even with the few fighters we have," Vivian finished. The two amnesiacs looked at each other with a look of surprise, which turned to smiles as they realized what they had just done.

Chrom and Fredrick were in too much shock to speak until they finished their back and forth strategizing.

Chrom's surprise turned into a grin when he saw the two working together to figure out the best way to keep his sister, and the rest of them, safe from harm. "Alright then. We will follow your lead. Let's get back in there," he said.

Vivian strode up to him and stood tall at his side, blade at the ready, prepared to move forward.

Fredrick moved with Lissa behind Robin, taking his place in the formation, an obvious pained look on his face.

"Fredrick, you did not thing wrong," Robin spoke softly as he passed.

Fredrick paused. "Milady was almost killed because of my failure," he choked on the words.

"You all have shown me kindness I couldn't hope to return. You took me with you all and at least showed me… well, mostly friendliness," Robin took a breath, preparing his words carefully. Fredrick turned towards Robin as he spoke again. He looked Fredrick in the eye, "I will have your back. No need to do this on your own. We'll protect them together," he said with conviction.

"You speak for the both of us Robin," Vivian interrupted. "I consider myself more than lucky to have you all be the ones to wake me up." She turned to Chrom then to the rest of the group as she spoke, "Consider us friends from here on."

Chrom shook smiled and shook his head. "When I said we would discuss this when we got to town, this is not what I had in mind," he looked around at the bandits that had noticed them, now running towards them. "But I see nothing wrong with either of you, so I trust you. And that has been sealed with your protection of Lissa," he threw a grateful look at Robin and Vivian. Chrom turned back and pointed his blade Falchion at the oncoming attackers. "Now, let's put your plan into action shall we? This town has been bothered by these troublemakers for long enough."

Fredrick considered all these words, and a determined look took over his previously solemn face.

"May Naga have mercy on them," Fredrick said grimly.

The party of five charged forward, with their trust in each other founded, soon to be face its first test of many in combat.

* * *

The battle was quickly turned in their favor after the regroup. Vivian was more talented with a blade than anyone had suspected. Paired with Chrom, the two made a near unstoppable duo.

The shepherds and amnesiacs protected each other from all sides, taking out the remaining bandits like a wave crashing against a cliff. Any bandits coming from the front had their weapon blocked by Chrom's Falchion, soon followed up by a wide slash across the exposed body from Vivian.

Vivian found it surprisingly easy to keep her wits about her in the thick of clashing metal. Clearly she had a lot of experience, but of course, the origins of that were a complete mystery to her. Never the less, she kept up with Chrom's swordplay beautifully, creating openings for him and Robin with a quick parry.

Anyone who tried to get around the two dancing blades could not go far, as Robin was quick with his Thunder spell to take out any would-be attackers to their formation. Casting the spell over and over again made the feeling of the magic coursing through him all the more familiar. It seemed to him much like riding a horse, it is easy to pick up again after not doing it for a while.

The few attackers that came from behind were swiftly introduced to his lance in the worst way possible. Fredrick looked on from the back of the formation when he got the chance to see his companions battling expertly. Being a knight for most of his life, he was able to notice the wisdom that was being played out by their current formation. Though he was disappointed that he ended up on the back side, it was for the better.

As most of the bandits were swords-men, he could more easily dispatch them by himself. Also, the formation provided Lissa the best possible cover with her being close to him, and having the ability to fall back to Robin should the need arise. Fredrick made a mental note to ask about this uncanny tactical thinking demonstrated by the amnesiacs after the battle.

About a dozen and a half bandits remained after the regroup a while ago, and now only the leader of the invaders remained.

He stood in front of the church, brandishing a large axe. He was a burly man, toned muscles showing where his leather armor did not cover. Seeming to know he would share the fate of his fallen comrades, he called out angrily, "Come on little sheepies! Come to me like lambs to the slaughter! Garrick will do to you what you just did to all my men!"

With the fires still burning the town, Chrom wasted no breath on this madman before him. He charged forward, hearing the cracking of Thunder as the bolt of lightning flew past him towards the leader.

Garrick brought up his axe in defense as the bolt struck the flat of it, sending a wave of pain up his arm, forcing it to go numb. He managed to recover just enough to block the first strike Chrom brought from overhead, but could only barely dodge a fatal blow as Vivian brought in a wide strike at his side from the right, landing a solid gash in his left side.

He did not have to endure that suffering for long. The pain from the blow brought him to his knees, giving Chrom the leverage to force him down and kick the axe out of his hands. Chrom saw the look of anger on Garrick's face has he swiftly ended him with a strike at the neck. With his death, the bandits were eliminated from the town.

* * *

The fires that the bandits had set had been quelled, thanks to the townspeople uniting beneath Chrom's orders. Robin and Vivian assumed he was a noble of some sort, as all the townspeople seemed to recognize him. Lines of people passes buckets down in a very orderly fashion, leaving only smoke and minimal damage to the buildings that had been affected.

Vivian joined the rest of the members of the ragtag group when the clean-up had been finished, a relieved smile on her face, "Well, that's the end of that. I'm glad that none of the people here were seriously injured."

"I am as well," Lissa said, getting up from Chrom's side. He had minor scratches from the battle, none to serious. "However, now it is time to think about yourself. Come here and let me take a look at your wounds."

Vivian's instincts with the blade certainly were sharp, but the sudden necessity to use them had left her with a few cuts to her arms when instincts weren't quite enough. She had to make sure that she began practicing swordplay if this sort of thing were to continue.

She walked over and sat next to Chrom for Lissa to use her Heal staff. It was strange seeing the accelerated healing process that the staff incurred. Her cuts began to dissipate as they were exposed to the light of Lissa's staff. Like time rewinding, she soon found herself and her cloak mended where there had once been evidence of the battle.

Robin and Fredrick walked over to them, Robin flipping through the pages of his tome while speaking to the knight.

"I have told you all I remember Fredrick. Really. The only things I can remember are skills and tactics, everything else is blank," Robin looked up at his walking companion apologetically. "I cannot explain it. Please, believe me, I have truly shared everything I know."

Upon hearing this, Chrom stood up and looked to Fredrick, "Surely Fredrick, you cannot continue to doubt these two. The only reason we all remain here without serious harm is because of them."

Fredrick shook his head, "My trust of them began when they aided Lissa milord, I owe them that much. Though I wish all my doubts to be dispelled, which is why I continue to ask." He turned towards Vivian, whom Lissa was finishing up with. "And you Vivian? Do you have any returning memories?"

It was Vivian's turn to shake her head, "I'm afraid not. Though I have been trying, nothing returns to me other than ideal placements of fighters on a battlefield," she said solemnly.

Chrom crouched town and put a hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry. Just be who you are now. And when your memories return, it will be a blessing."

Vivian nodded, but didn't look up. Robin shut his tome with a sigh, and placed it back in the pocket he had retrieved it from.

"Until that time though, I have a proposition for you both." Chrom's words grabbed the amnesiac's attention. Intrigued, Vivian stood up, and Robin tiled his head.

"Your skills were invaluable to us today, and I may very well owe my sister's life to you two." Lissa smiled widely and was probably about to rant her thanks, but Chrom continued before she could interrupt him.

"I realize that we just met today, but I feel that we have gone from strangers to friends thanks to today's battle. For this reason, I would like to invite you two to join us as shepherds." Finishing his proposal, Chrom smiled widely, crossing his arms in anticipation.

Robin laughed heartily, "I was hoping that you would say that. I would much rather be with you all than wandering the wilderness. I would be honored to join you," he said as he approached Chrom's now extended hand to shake it.

Vivian smiled sweetly, "If you'll have me, I would love to join you. There is no place I would rather be than with you all." She walked forward to shake Chrom's hand as well.

"Well that settles it then. Robin, Vivian," Chrom spoke, nodding to each. "Welcome to the shepherds."

* * *

Having refused the villagers offer of hospitality in favor of getting back home sooner, the 5 shepherds were beginning to fall asleep beneath the starry sky, the crackling fire giving them faint light. Chrom and Lissa had fallen asleep, Fredrick sat a little ways from the fire, taking the first watch.

"Vivian?" Robin asked.

"Yes Robin?"

"You don't think that we're family do you? All these resemblances seem… too much of a coincidence."

"No, I don't believe so," she said quietly. "This might seem silly seeing as how I don't remember anything but… I think I would remember a brother if I had one."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's similar to the way I fought today. Even though I don't remember any of my training, clearly I had a great deal. I feel it would be the same if I saw a sibling. My mind may not be able to recall them, but my heart would." Vivian chuckled. "This sounds so strange when I say it out loud."

Robin let loose a small laugh. "Even in this matter, our thoughts are eerily similar. I wonder, if we played chess would anyone ever claim victory?"

"Of course." Vivian replied frankly. "I would," she shrugged.

Robin laughed one more time. "So that's how it's going to be huh? Well, I suppose tacticians have to keep each other on their toes."

The two of them shared a smile, and looked up towards the dark expanse of the night sky, weariness taking over their bodies at last.


	2. Ch 2 Mask From the Sky

_**Author's Note: Sorry guys. This was supposed to be out yesterday, but my computer decided that it wanted to update and delete this entire chapter that was almost finished. Anyway, here is the final product. First of all, for those that missed the Author's Note in the last chapter, I already have story essential pairings decided. We'll have to see what happens with the rest of the Shepherds. Secondly, thank you so much for everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed my last chapter. It really drives me to keep writing. Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

Chrom sat on the log which he had been on since Robin had woken him up for his watch. He would be up until dawn broke, when the Shepherds would continue towards the capital of Ylisse, Ylisstol.

He had been dreaming, but was struggling to cling onto the details of what transpired. As his conscious mind finally took over, all he could hold onto was the battle; a crucial battle beside a close friend, closer than blood. With a sigh he gave up clinging to final vestige of his dream, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, yielding to the fact that he had to be awake.

The fire had long since burned itself out, embers emitting a faint glow to the center of the sleeping figures. Fredrick laid out on his back, armor still equipped to his body. He was nothing if not dedicated. Chrom cringed at the thought of having to sleep in the hunk of metal his friend was in. He could hardly sleep with his leather training armor on let alone the silver prison that was his armor back in Ylisstol.

Lissa was curled up on her sleeping roll, resting her head on her arm. Chrom couldn't help but think it looked quite uncomfortable, the small frown on her sleeping face proving this.

Getting up, Chrom brought his now unused sleeping pad and gently placed it underneath his sister's head. Lissa's sleeping figure shifted at the newfound pillow, pulling it into a comfortable position as a complacent smile spread over her face. The previous day had certainly been very hard on her. Anyone would be troubled after staring death in the eyes. Chrom sighed and looked over to where his sister's savior was, the blonde caster already asleep from his watch.

Chrom and Robin had left camp the night before in hopes of finding some game, and allowed the two to get to know each other outside of battle. Robin was a completely different person when not faced with an antagonist trying to strike his companions down. Instead of being a serious, firm faced fighter, he laughed and chatted as if he had forgotten his own amnesia. It was refreshing and relieving to Chrom that he had no serious problems with his memory loss, albeit a bit strange that it was so easy to take in stride.

Robin's talent with magic was also shown to Chrom once again, when a bear that faced them became dinner later that night, thanks to a well-placed Thunder striking the bear cleanly. Chrom's opinion of him only rose with each interaction, making him even gladder that he recruited him to the shepherds.

As for Vivian, Chrom's opinion of her had solidified on the battlefield. Her unrelenting strikes left little room for her opponents to anything but block, and made his job much easier. There were many times when an imperfect parry could have caused him injury, only to be picked up on by his female companion.

When the party was setting up camp, he was able to converse with in a relaxed manner. She was certainly more open than she had first appeared to be after the combat. In fact her sarcastic quips caused many laughs throughout the previous evening. Although she was certainly kind, when not teasing those around her, she gave off an aura of strength to Chrom.

His knowledge of woman from prior experience was in two extremes, either prim and pretty women, nobles who were considered 'proper', or female soldiers who often were rigid fighters. Vivian was a breath of fresh air to him, possessing qualities from all across the board.

All in all, the previous night has gone even better than Chrom had hoped. The two additions to their party were friendly through and through, and quickly were making light hearted jokes with Lissa, often at the expense of Fredrick.

After the meal, Fredrick, wanting a break from the jokes about bear meat, asked Robin and Vivian about their tactical knowledge. From then until they decided to finally go to sleep, the two displayed vast tactical knowledge. They went on for hours about small unit tactics, ambushes, hammer and anvil strategies, hedgehog defenses, and other terms that even Chrom had never heard before. To say the least, everyone was impressed. Fredrick couldn't help but let loose an audible, "Wow" in response to everything, and he was familiar with tactics himself.

This planted an idea in Chrom's head that he hadn't brought up yet, but contemplating the previous night's events, he settled on his course of action. The Shepherds were in desperate need of a tactician to guide their movements, especially with the tensions from Plegia building. It had been determined last night that the bandits were likely from Plegia considering their accent. Chrom could not think of any other minds he would want to oversee the Shepherds in battle than Vivian and Robin. When they arrived at Ylisstol, he would have to speak to the rest of Shepherds about the prospect.

Interrupting Chrom's musings, something in the nearby forest caught his attention; a sound, a low rumble.

Quietly as not to wake the others, Chrom stood up and took up his broadsword, Falchion.

The divine blade had served him well since his father left it in his care, he and the blade were nigh inseparable. Falchion; the blade that slew the dark dragon Medeus in the hands of the hero-king Marth, from whom the line of exalts of Ylisse descended. The blade had also been used by Chrom's ancestor the first exalt to defeat the fell dragon Grima centuries later. It was a big legacy to live up to, especially as the one who carried the sword all day.

Looking towards the sound's origin, Chrom took a few steps before Lissa stirred, mumbling sleepily.

"Chrom? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere sister. Just going for a walk."

"Then let me come with you," Lissa said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I'm all stiff from sleeping on the ground."

Lissa was not exactly speaking quietly, and with her words, the nearby Vivian stirred from her sleep as well.

Vivian yawned and shook her head to rid it of sleep

"What are both of you doing up? I thought Lissa didn't have a turn at the night watch."

Chrom was going to speak, but Lissa spoke up first.

"We are just going on a walk. I need to stretch my legs. Want to come with us?" she asked with enthusiasm.

Chrom sighed inwardly; so much for investigating the noise on his own.

"You might as well come with us at this point," Chrom said, making a point to stay quiet so the last two sleepers were not stirred.

Vivian stood and stretched, yawning widely, "If you'll have me, I'd love to join you two. Let's be quiet so these other sleepyheads don't wake up."

The three of them took off towards the tree line, leaving Fredrick and Robin fast asleep next to the embers of the fire. Lissa and Vivian were enjoying the sounds of the forest at night; night birds chirping, the light wind rustling the leaves above them. Moonlight shone upon them from the sky, filtered through the canopy above them.

"Hey Vivian," Lissa said.

"What is it?"

"I want to thank you again for coming into town to help us after we left you. If it wasn't for you and Robin, I don't think I would be walking through this forest right now," Lissa said with quivering lips. Her voice was weak thinking back to the bandit bearing down on her with the intention to kill.

"When we realized that we could hold our own in a fight, we came down immediately. We did what anyone else would do in our situation."

"Maybe… But really, my life could have ended there!"

Chrom interrupted, "Vivian, she is right. Don't try to downplay what you two did for us. Without your arrival and tactics, we couldn't have gotten off as easily as we did. Not to mention the townsfolk. I saw how they flocked to you after the fires had been put out. Everyone was very thankful," Chrom said with a smile.

It was true. Many people had come up to Vivian after the trouble settled down to give her thanks.

"A beautiful warrior and a hansom mage come out of the blue and saves the day? Sounds like something from a fictional novel," Chrom laughed. At that comment, Vivian's cheeks flushed lightly. Luckily for her, the darkness kept that fact hidden.

"Yeah! You two saved a lot of lives yesterday," Lissa chimed in.

Vivian was silent at this praise. She knew their words to be true, yet something had been weighing heavily on her hear since then.

"Perhaps… but the cost was having to take another's life…" Vivian said solemnly.

Chrom and Lissa stared at her for a moment, before Lissa turned to Chrom with a knowing look.

"I know what you are feeling Vivian. I have had encounters like this before. And it is never easy to take a life," Chrom said sadly.

"How do you deal with it?" Vivian asked. "In the heat of the moment when I saw Lissa getting attacked, I just continued on without thinking. But after reflecting back on the day, just how many lives did we take? There were at least a dozen bodies we had to bury."

Chrom put his hand on her shoulder and stopped walking.

"Look at me Vivian," he said seriously. She stopped and turned to him, looking straight at his eyes reflecting the filtered moonlight.

"Taking a life is not something that you 'deal' with," he started. "In my opinion, killing can never be justified. But I have a reason to fight, and that is what keeps me going on. You need to find a reason to take a life, yet still mourn for the life you took"

Vivian looked confused, so Chrom clarified for her

"Mourn for those you killed. They had a life just like you have. But we shepherds fight to protect that which is important to us, our friends, family, and countrymen. If the bandits we fought were to continue to roam free, they would simple continue to spread havoc and destruction. That can't be allowed to continue for our loved one's sake."

"So find something to fight for. I know that your memories only go as far back as yesterday, but we are all here to support you. It is fine to be sad for hurting others, but remember why you did, and continue moving forward."

There was a silence while these words sunk into Vivian's mind. She recalled the look of pain on one of the bandit's faces as she had run him through in the stomach. That horrendous sight was replaced by the happy face of a child, no more than six, who had given her a hug on her leg. She and her family had come to her with tears in their eyes thanking her for protecting their home that had been spared from the fires. As Vivian had looked at the mother, she saw another child. A newborn baby, that was now safe. That sight was reason enough for Vivian to be at peace with herself for what happened.

"Chrom… thank you," she said, wiping a tear that had emerged. "Your words mean a lot to me."

Chrom took the hand off her shoulder with a smile.

"I'm very glad you joined us Vivian. And it is extremely reassuring to know that you care so much about others, even your enemies. It tells me that you'll take good care of our troops as our tactician," he slyly added.

Vivian looked at him in amazement.

"Tactician?! For the shepherds? You've only known me for a day!"

"And yet, Lissa would not be here if not for you and Robin. What do you think?"

"I'm honored, but… what about Robin? You saw how level headed he was in combat. And his knowledge of tactics is at least as good as mine."

"Oh I plan on asking him the same thing. You two worked together very well coming up with our formation."

"You should have heard yourselves! You finished each other sentences without even planning it out beforehand!" Lissa quipped.

Chrom nodded in agreement. "It was a sight to behold. Even Fredrick listened to you. Besides, it would be too much of a burden to put on one person's shoulders anyway."

Vivian pondered the offer as they started walking again. Could she really lead the group of fighters well? Well enough to keep them safe? She didn't even know the majority of them, as they had yet to reach Ylisstol. Surely she couldn't.

Another moment of consideration brought about a change of mind though. If Chrom indeed was going to ask Robin as well, perhaps she could manage. Indeed, running the positions, plans, and formations would be too much for one person. But she had seen Robin's wisdom in tactics firsthand, both in battle and conversation. If they combined their strengths…

"If it's alright, I'd like to be able to discuss this with Robin before I answer. I believe we can do it together," Vivian said confidently. "Once again, I cannot thank you enough for everything that you've done for me. It's a lot to take in all at once."

"You'll be fine. You're strong, as you've proven. I'm just glad to have you on board."

The mood of the three completely changed as they continued deeper into the forest. However, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere around them when they reached a clearing. The peaceful noises of the night completely halted; no birds singing, no wind disturbing the leaves. As if the whole world had frozen, they all noticed that something was off.

"It's so quiet…" Vivian's voice broke the eerie silence that loomed all around.

"This doesn't feel right. Something is amiss…" Chrom followed. Nothing was around them, which is what the problem was. The tension from pure nothingness could be cut with a knife.

An explosive sound shattered the night, the ground beneath them violently shaking. Lissa cried out and grabbed onto Chrom's arm, bracing herself from falling. The other two gritted their teeth, lowering their stance to resist the earth's attempt to take them off their feet.

The freak quake intensified, forcing the group to brace themselves against a tree at the edge of the clearing. From this point, Chrom could see over the opposite edge of the clearing's tree line. Before him, he could see trees that had been growing for centuries collapsing in a rough line; a line that was heading their way.

"Lissa, Vivian, run." Chrom spoke sternly

"Huh?" was Lissa's respose.

"Come on, quick!" Vivian shouted, seeing what Chrom had witnessed.

"I mean it, GO!"

They took off running in the opposite direction from the coming destruction. A glow of orange light came to life behind them, causing a momentary pause in their retreat, where they saw what could only be described as hell on earth.

Racing towards them was a wall of fire, tearing up the ground and burning the forest as it went. The earth had split and risen, spreading liquid fire into the air into the grove. Fireballs were thrown into the air, flying through the sky towards the party. The earth groaned and split again, rising into the air. Within moments, the landscape had changed completely.

"We have to keep going! Run!" Vivian shouted at the awestruck siblings. The destruction was not stopping its advance.

Chrom grabbed Lissa's arm, pulling her as he followed Vivian back in the direction they had come from, just as flaming rocks from the earth landed where they had just been standing.

 _What sort of nightmare is this?_ Chrom thought wildly, pulling his sister to dodge another fireball from the sky.

With a sound like the most explosive fire magic, the ground beneath their feet jumped up, forcing them to leap down from the newly formed cliff.

* * *

"Robin! Robin wake up! Wake up!" Fredrick yelled at the groggy sleeper.

Robin slowly sat up and opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them.

"Milord and lady are gone! As is Vivian!" Fredrick shouted again. His words brought Robin from his sluggish sleep-state in a flash, looking around to see that Frecrick's words rang true. "And the forest is on fire!"

Robin's head whipped around to face the tree line. In the distance, he saw a wall of flame consuming the forest, coming towards them.

All sleep that had prevailed in his body at that point was instantly gone.

"Are they in there?!"

"If they are, we need to hurry!" Fredrick hastily said, finishing equipping the saddle onto his steed. Throwing himself up onto his horse, he rode to Robin and grabbed his outstretched hand, Robin swinging himself onto the saddle behind Fredrick.

Gripping the rider's armor, Robin muttered under his breath, "Gods, let them be alright…"

* * *

"What's going on!?" Lissa cried.

She, Chrom, and Vivian had reached another clearing, far enough away from the oncoming disaster to take a breather. While they did, a sound like rushing wind could be heard above the destruction, causing everyone to look to the sky.

They saw energy gathering in the sky above them into a concentrated ball, imploding in on itself. Around the center, a thin circle with inlaid runes formed, the center of the circle filling with a black void. Crystal appeared in a downward curve in the void, splitting in two and opening like an eye, revealing a shining blue light.

Within this light, two humanoid shapes grew closer, falling from the projection with a thud. They stood, revealing themselves in the light of the fires.

"What in Naga's name…" Chrom muttered.

The creatures were horrendous. They were dead; dead humans. Where their armor was absent, stitch marks went across their bodies, as if they had been put together from spare parts. Their skin was an unnatural dark purple. When they breathed, purple mist escaped from their mouths, dissipating into the air. Their eyes glowed red, leaving a trail of energy behind where they once had been.

"Dark magic… Chrom, be ready. Lissa, stay behind me, but close." Vivian said, drawing her blade as she saw the glowing eyes.

With Falchion being drawn, the pair of creatures roared, purple mist billowing from their open mouths as they charged. Light from the fire glinted off their dual-sided war axes.

Chrom responded by letting out a wordless battle cry, charging forward. As the first creature aimed to bring down his axe, Chrom ignored it and charged at the second one. Caught off guard, it couldn't defend, allowing Falchion to cleave through its torso, felling it with one blow.

Or so he thought.

With no sound of a body hitting the ground, Chrom snapped his head to look behind him, seeing the creatures head turned nearly 180 degrees to face him. With a roar, it brought its axe around in a sweeping horizontal slash, meeting with Falchion put up in a hasty block.

Gritting his teeth, Chrom forced Falchion into the underside of the curve of the creatures axe. With his blade locked against his opponents weapon, he pulled Falchion down like a lever, forcing a disarm from the creature. Chrom followed up with a swift kick, sending the ungodly creature to the dirt, sticking Falchion through its chest. With a scream of rage, the creature's body faded into mist like that which had come from its mouth, disappearing completely.

All of this had taken only seconds, but it was not fast enough.

"Vivian!" Chrom shouted.

Turning around, Chrom looked on horrified as he saw Vivian struggling with the other creature. He charged forward desperately, but the situation got worse. Their weapons locked, Vivian's tired arms were giving way as the creature slowly overpowered her. The creature, having the upper hand, kicked at Vivian's sword arm, forcing her to drop her sword.

"Vivian, no!" Chrom screamed. He wouldn't make it in time. The vile creature swung his axe down at Vivian, with nowhere for her to go. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

Vivian heard clanking of metal straight in front of her, followed by a puff of breath in her face, and a grunt. Opening her eyes, she gasped, seeing a masked stranger right in front of her. The stranger had his blade braced against his shoulder on his back, preventing the creatures blow.

"Help!" he said as he turned his head towards Chrom.

The cry shook him from his appalled state, bringing Falchion to bear in protection of his newfound friend. He ran towards the creature with another cry, getting the attention of the creature. The pressure being lifted from the stranger's back, he swung his blade in a horizontal slash across the creatures body, while Chrom's blow severed its head, turning the creature to putrid purple mist.

Vivian quickly stood and retrieved her weapon, scanning area for more creatures before deciding it was safe to sheathe her sword. Chrom saw the stranger do the same thing, their movements in uncanny synch.

"That was quite an entrance. Thank you stranger." Vivian said gratefully.

With the action ending, Chrom got his first clear look at the stranger. He was clad in nearly all blue, a regal combat outfit accompanied with a red shield pin from which flowed a dark navy-blue cape. His face was covered by a dark ornate mask, with slits for eyes, covering the important features of his face. His short hair was dark blue, similar to Chrom's. Chrom couldn't help but think those clothes looked familiar to him, as if he had seen them before. Despite how he tried however, he could not pinpoint where the resemblance as coming from.

He couldn't shake this feeling of familiarity. "What's your na-"

"Milord! Milady!"

"Vivian!"

Robin and Fredrick, atop Fredrick's steed, came crashing into the clearing. Robin swung off the horse as it slowed, running up to the group.

"Are you all alright?" he asked worriedly.

"We are find now, thanks to this man." Vivian looked to the stranger

Fredrick squinted at him, living up to his namesake of Fredrick the Wary.

"Thank the gods no one is hurt. As for you sir.." he started

"There is no time," interrupted the stranger, pointing at the other side of the clearing.

All heads turned towards where the stranger gestured. Though the portal in the sky was closed, six more creatures stalked out of the woods, groaning and snarling at the group of shepherds plus one.

Robin jumped back when he saw the horrible sight, "What the blazes!? What are those?!

"My gods, they're horrible…" Fredrick said with a disgusted look.

"No matter," said Robin sternly, pulling his Thunder tome from his cloak. "I can only assume you just fought those things judging from the spare axes on the ground."

"Wow…" Lissa said quietly at Robin's observation skills.

"Indeed. Be careful. They are no pushovers. Their individual strength is impressive, but we have yet to see how they act as a group," Vivian warned.

"We'll have to play it safe since we are even in number-"

"Captian Chrom!" A bellowing voice called out.

A female cavalier in red armor dashed out of the trees on her horse, accompanied by a very flustered looking archer with a dirty boot mark in the center of his chest.

"I assume they are on our side?" Robin asked

"Sully! Virion! Thank goodness, you're just in time!" Chrom shouted.

Patience apparently was not something these mysterious creatures had, as they all howled in unison, charging forward.

"Everyone, get in formation!" Shouted Vivian, as Robin shot a bolt of lightning towards the oncoming horde. "Lissa, stay with Fredrick! I'll stick with our friend over here!" she continued shouting as she took her place with the stranger.

"I do not need a partner," the stranger said when she arrived.

Robin paired the rest of the group together, shouting their plan of holding the front line while he and Virion wore their enemies down.

"You fought and saved me. So now I'll fight and help you," Vivian responded assuredly. "Don't worry, apparently I'm an expert tactician," she smirked and threw a glance at the stranger.

The stranger showed no emotion at her words, simply bringing his sword in front of him in a two handed grip.

"All work no play huh? Fair enough. Let's do this."

The fight went exactly as Robin had directed them to. Fredrick, Sully, Chrom, Vivian and the Stranger held up a wall of iron, not letting any of the creatures through, making them easy pickings for Robin's magic and Virion's arrows.

Sully took a hard hit from the sword of one of the creatures, piercing her left arm's armor and leaving a deep cut underneath. Lissa, learning from her mistake yesterday, moved behind Fredrick until he was able to take Sully's place so Lissa could heal her. Luckily, the cut wasn't deep enough that her Heal staff couldn't handle it. She brought the blue orb of the staff to the injury, light shining from it onto the wound, repairing the damaged skin and muscles and dulling the pain. In full fighting order, Sully remounted her steed and rode to take her place from Fredrick.

Vivian couldn't help but feel like she was fighting next to Chrom as she had yesterday. The Stranger's moves were confoundingly similar so his, but faster. Sometimes she had a hard time keeping up with her partner's movements. No doubt, this man was an expert.

Chrom had never had an easier fight in his life. Against the single monster, he had had a bit of difficulty, but whenever he was on the back foot now, a crackle of lightning found its way straight to its face, making for an easy kill. He could honestly say this would be fun if their lives weren't in danger from the creatures and the fire that continued to spread around them.

"There! The chief! Take him out!" The Stranger shouted. They had taken out all but the last two creatures, when a seventh one came running forward. It was larger than the rest, holding a large battle axe in front of it.

"Ryaaargh!" it howled menacingly. Upon hearing their apparent leader's cry, the last two creatures began fighting frantically, swinging faster and harder. The chief charged forward towards Chrom and Robin, axe swinging wildly.

Robin noticed and called for Vivian and The Stranger to back them up, commanding the rest to take care of the final creatures.

Magic bolts flew one after another as Chrom and the chief locked weapons, trading blows back and forth. The Stranger jumped in front with Chrom, doubling the pressure from the front as Vivian and Robin moved to his flanks. Overwhelmed, the chief was struck again and again with magic and blade, the four shepherds dancing around their target, bringing him to his knees.

Chrom leaped high in the air, bringing Falchion above his head, the blade began to glow, emitting a blue stream of light. With all his weight, he fell and plunged Falchion into the middle of the chief's chest, the creature fading like the others into purple mist. With the chief fallen, the other monsters were easily dispatched.

* * *

"Thank you again for coming and saving me," Vivian said to The Stranger as they recovered from the battle.

"You saved our friends life. I cannot thank you enough," Chrom said while taking a slight bow. "My name is Chrom. Perhaps we could get yours this time?" he asked.

"You may call me Marth."

Surprised, Chrom said, "Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

"I'm not here to talk about me," she replied grimly. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity." Everyone present turned to her in confusion. "What you saw tonight was but a prelude of things to come," she said as she turned around to leave. "You have been warned." Without another word, he walked away into the forest.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Robin remarked.

"I couldn't even get a smile out of him," Vivian sighed.

"His skills clearly lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again…" Fredrick mused. "But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste."

Chrom held the bridge of his nose with closed eyes, "First Plegian raiders, now these damned beasts. Fredrick is right. We need to get to the capital to see if any of this 'calamity' has affected the city."

"Dawn is upon us now. Let's hurry back."

* * *

Back on the path, Chrom lead the Shepherds towards Ylisstol. Sully was threatening Virion with another boot print on his clothes, while Lissa was sleep on the back of Fredrick's horse. Vivian and Robin were speaking with Chrom at the front of the group.

"So much has happened to that poor girl in less than 24 hours. I feel sorry for her," Robin said with sorrow.

"She is a strong girl. Chances are that she will be back to her bright and normal self again once she wakes up," Chrom reassured him. "So. Robin."

Robin lifted an eyebrow quizzically, "What is it?"

"I believe that Vivian has something she would like to discuss with you."

Looking past Chrom over at her, Robin raised the other eyebrow.

"It's about the Shepherds," she said. "There is an important role that is not being filled right now, specifically that of a tactician."

Robin was clearly interested, "Really? You don't have one back in the capital?"

"There are tacticians at the castle, but I have never recruited one for the Shepherds, though gods know we need one," Chrom explained. "In fact, there are many as part of our military, not to mention the freelance ones. But they all rub me the wrong way. They are always unfit, fat and lazy from sitting around all day studying and drafting plans. Too much like noblemen who just… bug me," he finished, clearly restraining himself. It seemed like fancy nobles very much got on his nerves.

"You two aren't like them. Vivian is skilled with a blade, Robin, your magic is pinpoint accurate, and most of all, you guys work together with your plans remarkably."

Robin and Vivian exchanged a smile.

"So, I would like to extend the offer to you both. Would you two like to be the Shepherd's tacticians?"

"Really?!" Robin exclaimed. "Are you sure? You've known us for less than two days!"

Chrom laughed heartily, "She had the same reaction. And yes I'm sure. In the short time I've known you two, you've already done so much. I have complete faith that you'll be able to handle the position expertly."

Robin looked to Vivian, "What do you think?" he asked.

"I'm all for it. I've come to rather like you all," she pointedly said at Chrom. "If it is within my power to keep everyone safe, then I'll do so to the best of my abilities."

"I suppose that it then," Robin chuckled. "If we both have the same goals, then together we can't possibly fail."

"Then we are in agreement?" Vivian asked.

"Yep," he said, looking at Chrom. "I happily accept your offer Chrom. Thank you for this opportunity."

"And I as well. I will do my best to serve the Shepherds."

Chrom's smile widened even further. "I know that we are in good hands. I'm glad that we picked you two sleepyheads up," he laughed.

"Hey Shepherds! Say hello to your new tacticians!" Chrom yelled behind him, gesturing to the blondes at his sides."

Before they could even react, Robin found Sully asking him for a sparring match, and Vivian was stuck with Virion's insistence that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever beheld.

 _Naga, surely this is your doing._ Chrom thought. _Truly, we really are in good hands._

* * *

Off on a nearby hill, away from the beaten path, Marth stood watching the Shepherds in the distance.

"Gods, just by coming here I almost failed," he said angrily through gritted teeth.

"I can't get in their way; I'll only cause more trouble. Just do what you came to do, and go home," he said with steeled will.

He clenched his fist as he firmly determined, "I will NOT let this calamity happen."

* * *

A/N: Really quickly just want to say that I'll be flying home to Alaska soon. That flight time will be dedicated to working on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll be able to post it in a day or two (as long as my computer doesn't delete it again). Happy Holidays!


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